Cirque Du Freak: Rise of The Bane
by PhantomChief
Summary: 500 years ago, a Prince defeated The Bane of the Werewolves in a battle. Before he died, The Bane left behind a dark prophecy that tells of his return. In the present, The Bane has come in the middle of the War of Scars igniting a struggle for survival
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan, or anything by him. I'm simply borrowing his material for use.

There were bodies.

There were bodies everywhere.

Both Vampire and Werewolf had engaged in a ferocious battle both with huge numbers and weapons that could bring either species to its knees. The plan had been so simple, so that victory could easily be assured. Split into two separate forces, one of larger force heading directly for Vampire Mountain with the job of distracting the enemy, and another smaller strike force to enter the tunnels of the mountain, wiping out all that remained inside, and taking the Hall of the Princes. Everything had gone as planned. Hoards of Vampires had come out of the mountain to engage the threat, and they were slowly but inevitably being dealt with. As all of the defenders of the mountain came out, packs from the giant army of Werewolves started circling around the enemy forming a circle around their prey. During all the havoc, the strike force silently infiltrated the mountain; they overpowered the guards near the entrance and started making their way inside toward their destination. As they got closer to the hall, they ran headlong into am ambush.

_They were waiting for them._

The enemy had gathered, waiting inside one of their large halls, maybe about 100 Vampires. The only good news was that hall led directly to the Hall of the Princes. The werewolf's then leaped forward to engage, some transforming into their monstrous forms and others attacking with primal weapons and all hell broke loose.

The Bane sat back and watched it all with distaste. It was all meaningless. It was desperate but futile attempt to keep him away from their most sacred hall, and they knew it They had a traitor in his group, one that told the Vampires that they were coming, but it didn't matter, he always knew who it was, and he had killed him before the battle had started. He recalled with pleasure at his sentiment that there was a traitor in the group. Then he had looked right at him and smiled. He had felt pleasure with every little molecule of meat that had been ripped out of his throat and the look of horror that was still on the face, frozen in time for eternity.

Now however, he had some business to attend to. He walked past the battle and started to head for the Hall of the Princes. A Vampire saw him and aimed for his gut with his sword, but The Bane was pleasured by this, _Warm-up_. He grabbed the Vampires throat, slammed him into the cold, damp floor and after unsheathing his claws, started ripping out his stomach. After he had died, The Bane let go, his claws reeking of blood and covered in the Vampires' intestines.

"Well, that was lovely." The Bane remarked.

He left the battle behind and went up to the magnificent doors that guarded his destination. The legend had said that only a Vampire Prince could open these doors, but it didn't matter.

Pity they had to be ripped off.

Inside, were his prey and the inevitable end of the war.

**Inside the Hall of the Princes**

The Vampire Princes were waiting calmly inside of their Hall. They knew that if an attack came, the Werewolves would head straight for the Hall of the Princes. Most likely The Bane would be leading the attack force.

Lusious, the most aggressive of the Princes, was restless.

"When the hell are they going to break in? I'm tired of waiting, we should go and bust some heads!"

"Patience Lusious, he will come."

Cyrus was a very logical Prince; he was the one who made the most ideal strategies. It was his idea to set up a defense line in the hall, and by the sounds outside, the enemy had come.

"While he may be in our mountain, it would not do for us to head to him. If the ambush were to fail, we would be up against a blood-hungry pack of Werewolves and a very powerful leader. The purpose of the ambush if you recall, is to distract the strike force and let The Bane come here alone were we three will deal with him." He said calmly

Another Prince was standing nearby. He was a new addition to the ranks of the Princes, and while confident, he was also frightened at having to face such a huge enemy.

"I'm not sure about this." He remarked.

Lusious responded, "We'll be fine, just remember the plan, when he comes in we will circle around him at equal distances, so as to strike at three different points, he can't defend himself all at onc…."

BOOM!!

The doors that protected the hall shook on their hinges, and then stood still again, almost as if nothing had happened; the Prince's put a hand on their weapons.

BOOM!! The doors now bent in half and collapsed outward and a cloud of dust rose.

The Prince's snapped to attention, and all three drew their weapons. Lusious was armed with two short swords, and the newcomer was equipped with a long sword and a dagger. Cyrus didn't carry any weapons, he believed in fighting with his hands.

A figure stirred in the dust cloud, and then marched forward.

"Good evening gentleman."

In front of the now empty doorway stood The Bane. He looked very calm and peaceful, but his eyes told differently. They were alive with insane glee, were looking at each Prince studying how to take each down.

Cyrus, the first to recover from the collapse of the hall doors, responded.

"You're not welcome here."

"Thank you for bringing up the obvious, but that's not the type of response I was looking for, I was expecting more of a threat." The Bane sneered. "But this is off topics, what really matters is that theirs an army of Werewolves sitting on your front porch waiting to take this pathetic mountain of yours."

"That won't happen; today your rein of terror comes to an end." Lusious shouted.

The Bane feigned surprise, "Oh really, how do you suppose that going to happen?"

The new Prince retorted "We have known that you were coming for weeks, so we set a trap for you when we heard that you were coming."

The Bane laughed, "You mean that pitiful ambush that was waiting for use, when we got close to the hall, some trap!!"

"No, the force of 500 Vampires that are attacking your large strike force right now from the back." Cyrus grinned.

The Bane's eyes snapped open "What NO!"

"You're finished; you will never again command an army to do your will."

The Bane glared hatefully at the Princes.

"So be it, to the death then." He said as he shed his clothes and transformed.

"This will only take a moment." Lusious remarked.

The Bane roared and rushed forward.

As the new Prince, I was taken aback

Over the course of the war, I had fought many Werewolves, but nothing had prepared me for the giant monstrosity I was now fighting. Usually when a Werewolf transformed, they grew a foot in height, their eyesight grew sharper, their accuracy improved, they could heal very quickly, they could move very fast, and they were very strong. The Bane however, grew two feet in size, and everything about him was ten times better than any Werewolf. Unlike his other brethren, he was covered in white fur, not the usual grey fur.

The battle did not start well. All of the Princes had used their plan and were circled around The Bane each attacking from a different point. Usually, this is an effective strategy against a werewolf as they cannot defend three points at the same time. But The Bane was no ordinary Werewolf. He seemed to able to defend on three different points at the same time. He moved with incredible speed and didn't look like he was going to hold up any time soon. Eventually, Cyrus made a mistake and tried to do a chop on his neck. The Bane saw it coming and reacted, he grabbed the hand that was going for his neck, lifted Cyrus off the ground, and threw him onto the ground and then slashed his other claw across his neck, and ripped his throat out. When I looked at his face, there was a look of shock on it. The Bane roared with glee and used his foot to pick him up and throw him _through _the mountain and into the cold abyss below. Then he resumed his attack on us.

Sweat started pouring down my body. All of us had many cuts and bruises, but we didn't stop. As The Bane swiped his claw at Lusious' face and Lusious counterattacked. He blocked the blow on one of his swords and slashed at The Banes arm and sliced his claw off.

The Bane roared in pain and then grabbed me and threw me against the wall. As I hit my head on the wall, I dropped my dagger. I knew The Bane's reasoning. He wanted to deal with the Prince that cut off his hand alone, I knew that Lusious was fast, but he couldn't keep The Bane off forever. Eventually, he made his error.

Lusious hit The Bane with the hilt of one of his swords, and then leaped over The Bane. Half way over, The Bane reached up, and grabbed Lusious. He then put his head in his mouth and ripped out, and his head was dismembered from his body.

I was the only one left. The final Prince to guard the Hall of the Princes.

The Bane came at me, with both his teeth and his only claw. He was becoming careless, he left spots open in his defense and I nicked him several times. They weren't serious cuts, but they were aggravating him.

He then tried to grab me wit his foot, but it ducked, and sliced my sword through his stomach.

The Bane screamed and then slashed his claw at my face. I turned my head to dodge, but I wasn't fast enough. His razor sharp claw ripped across the right side of my face, and it _took my ear off!_

I screamed in pain, and reached to stop the blood flow. The Bane screeched in triumph and kicked me against the wall. I slammed my back against the wall and felt several of my ribs crack.

The Bane then transformed back into his human form, looking coldly at me.

"It was inevitable, you realize that now." The Bane smirked.

He was a terrible sight. He had only one hand and a sword through his stomach.

"Now comes the extinction of your entire race," he whispered, "TIME TO DIE!!"

He grabbed hold of the hilt of the sword in his stomach and pulled outward. He made a grunt as it came free. The he came toward me with the sword, his blood still on the blade. As he came close, I knew it was the end and I looked to my left not wanting to see death.

My dagger!!

It was still sitting there. I reached for but could only just reach the hilt. As The Bane plunged toward me with the sword, the grabbed the dagger, and thrust it toward him. With the luck of the Vampires, it struck through his heart!!

The Bane stopped short and looked at his chest with shock. He was breathing heavily, the hilt rising and falling with each breath. He collapsed next to me and then looked at me hatefully. He started moving toward me, nothing in his hand, no weapon or anything, he just wanted to say something so I let him grab my neck and put his face right next to mine.

"This…isn't…over!" He gurgled with blood coming out of his mouth. "A curse….on your species. I…will have my…revenge…whether it be….a year from now….or a thousand. …Another following pawed footsteps…color of long forgotten snow…bearing darkness's cradle…uniting the tribes…once again…leader of the night… with a sacred moon…shall rise and finish my genocide…and destroy the blood drinkers…to rule both day and night…once more!!

Then The Bane died.


	2. Chapter 1: The Cave of Retribution

_500 Years Later_

Every one was holding their breath.

Even the fight that had been going on between the Vampaneze and the Vampires had stopped. All that mattered now were the people on the platform. The people about to engage in a duel to the death.

Mr. Crepsley stood still and was gazing at his cousins, and the man who we were destined to kill.

I guess I didn't explain the "we" did I. My name is Darren Shan. I'm a half-vampire who got blooded at a young age, and was taken under Mr. Crepsley's, my mentor, wing. I'm also the youngest Vampire Prince. About a year ago, a powerful individual named Mr. Tiny had told Mr. Crepsley and I that we would be hunters for the fabled Lord of the Vampanize. He said we would have 3 chances to kill him, but if it reached the forth, it could go any way.

So anyway, Mr. Crepsely was gazing coolly at his foes , studying them and waiting for the inevitable engagement.

Gannen Harst, Steve Leopard, and the most important of all, the Lord of the Vampanize stared back.

The Lord of the Vampanize for some reason, decided to end the unusual silence.

"So, you have finally come into my clutches," he said. "I've been itching for a chance to bloody my hands."

"That won't happen tonight; I am the master of my fate and will accept whatever comes." Mr. Crepsely said calmly.

"However, I will end your life and you will be powerless to stop me." He vowed as he raised one of his knives.

Gannen Harst however, stepped in front of his lord.

"The deals off. You did not send Darren Shan up to fight, and you and Vancha March did not surrender your weapons," he growled. "The two-to-one ratio no longer applies."

Mr. Crepsely, as calm as the night wind, responded, "I expected no better from blood traitors who lets humans into this mess."

"Enough!!" The Lord of the Vampanize roared. "No more lame brained insults!"

Then he smiled. "The time of talk is now over, have you made your peace with the Vampire Gods?"

"I did that long ago" Mr. Crepsely said as he got into a fighting position.

The Lord of the Vampanize pulled out a short barbed sword and Gannen pulled out a heavier long sword. Steve, who had been silent this entire time, whistled and pulled out a long chain and a golden dagger.

"And now it all ends." The Lord of the Vampanize said.

As long as I live, I'll never forget that day. I didn't know why, but I was worried for my mentor. The odds were far from fair and he was only one man. No, he was a _Vampire_ and that made all the difference in the world.

The Lord of the Vampanize however, did not decide to join the brawl immediately. He stood back as his comrades formed a V-shape. Mr. Crepsely wouldn't be able to get to the Lord of the Vampanize without crossing Gannen and Steve, who would in turn slice him into two.

The seconds dragged on and finally, Gannen made the first move. He lunged toward Mr. Crepsley with a thrust, but Mr. Crepsley used one of his knives and deflected the blow. As he did, Steve flicked his long chain at Mr. Crepsley, but he was prepared and used the blade of the other knife to guide the chain away. Then the Vampanize Lord struck, jumping through the air and trying to slice Mr. Crepsely' neck in half, but he simply rolled out of the way. As the battle dragged on, Signs were starting to show that Mr. Crepsley was starting to get tired. He started getting cuts and slices all over his body, as all three of them drove him back to a corner of the platform.

Soon however, Steve got impatient and flicked his chain at Mr. Crepsley. This time, Mr. Crepsley did not redirect the chain, but let go of one of his knives and grabbed it.

He grimaced with pain as the small spikes bit into his palm and pulled forward.

Steve groaned with pain as the pain ensnared his wrist and started puncturing the skin, and pulling him forward.

As he was coming toward Mr. Crepsley, Mr. Crepsley flipped the handle of the dagger so he was holding the blade, and as Steve came close, he used it to punch his face.

Steve's nose cracked, and blood started pouring out. He shrieked and dropped the floor, unable to move and stop the blood flow.

Mr. Crepsley than threw the dagger at Gannan who ducked, and as he did, the Vampanize Lord started making long sweeps with his sword, trying to knock him off the platform.

Mr. Crepsley ducked under the blows, and grabbing his wrist and upper arm, _bent the arm back snapping the bones into twigs!_

The Vampanize Lord screamed with pain, and as he started to fall to his knees, Mr. Crepsley spun around and kicked him, hard, in the small of his back.

With the added momentum, the Vampanize Lord flew over the edge of the platform and into the stakes below. He had only time to scream, once, before the stakes pierced through the valuable organs in his body.

The Vampanize were struck silent. Some went to the edge of the pit and stared at their dead Lord, eyes distraught. Me, I couldn't believe it! Mr. Crepsley had killed the Lord of the Vampanize. The war was over. We had won! If I had known how wrong I was, I would've run from that cavern immediately following the battle.

I felt like rejoicing! I felt a heavy weight lifting from my soldiers. I looked at the people on the platform. Gannen Harst was looking over the edge of the platform. His eyes wide and his face shocked. Steve was still rolling on the floor in agony with his broken nose. I then looked at Mr. Crepsley. He too, was looking at the Vampanize on the platform, and then he turned and looked at me and smiled. I saw his arms outstretch as though wanting to give me a hug.

That's when I heard it.

_Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap_

Everybody has stopped what they were doing and looked at the empty door where Steve, Gannen, and the Lord of the Vampanize had entered. Steve had to roll his eyeballs to the back of his skull to see.

"You have no idea how ironic this is." A voice chuckled. "3 months, I have been looking for blood drinkers and here they are, all gathered in one place, it's like a colony of fly's in a sealed jar."

A man than stepped out of the shadows. I'd like to say that the man did not scare me, but I can't, he terrified me! He was a large man with huge rippling muscles that looked like boulders. He was tall, and had a thin goatee growing under his chin. He stood very calmly, and I had a feeling that he was in complete control of the situation. His eyes were what scared me the most. There were completely black, and stared with a hunger for flesh. They were alive with animalistic glee studying everyone in the chamber wondering who to take down first.

"…and the worst part is," he continued. "That you effectively are stuck in a fly jar. I congratulate whoever built this chamber; he has made our job so much easier."

"Who are you?!" A Vampanize roared.

The man smiled cruelly "The true rulers of the night, one with a sacred oath and will pay it in blood!"

The man pulled back his head and made a sound I thought a human couldn't make. It sounded like a roar from an animal, a very _bloodthirsty_ animal.


End file.
